Countdown to Day One

Well, for those who’ve read my previous blog, you know how quickly and anxiously I arrived at my first day last semester. This position couldn’t be more different. It’s almost prolonged and while I am still anticipating the day, I feel much more prepared this time around. Call it experience, or having a week to feel out and personalize my room, or maybe it’s the warm and welcoming staff. Any way you slice it, this year is starting out on the right foot.

You know something is special when after spending five unpaid and long days at work you go back for a sixth, and on a Sunday at that. Yup. That’s how I spent my Sunday, and Saturday was spent buying supplies.

I arrived today with the goodies I found yesterday: a four dollar thrift store stool, two Wal-Mart lamps (I know. I hate shopping there but I spent the week not getting paid remember?) a door mat, some decorative items from the Dollar Tree and magnets. Every good teacher has magnets.

I spent six hours setting up my room, printing and subsequently finding the printer/work area, reading through the schedule changes for Monday, figuring out how to hang up my maps, discovering my cupboard actually does lock, and explore my new technology. For those who know what an ELMO is, I am now the privileged user of one, along with a fancy new projector. Success was mine!

As productive as I was, I still realized that leaving today meant that I was ready for Monday and I struggled with that decision for sometime. Soon after I remembered that even if I spent the night, school would indeed be starting in 16 hours, and in one scenario I’d have bed head and nothing to wear. With mixed feelings I turned off the new lamps, locked up my technology in my not-so-fancy cupboard and then… went next door to ask someone to lock my door for me, seeing as I’m still without a key.

Tomorrow I climb the ladder and jump off the high dive (as my co-worker metaphor-ed last week). But as I told him: belly flop or splash-less entry, either way we’ll be swimming. Has anybody seen my water wings?